Astros: Will Josh Hader be late to the party and the Red Sox are out on Paredes
Spring Training is here, and the Astros rumor mill is heating up!
In today’s episode of Locked On Astros, we break down the latest on Josh Hader’s throwing progression, whether there’s any real concern about a delayed start, and what it could mean for Houston’s bullpen as pitchers and catchers report.
We also dive deep into the Astros’ ongoing trade conversations, including renewed talks involving Isaac Paredes, why the Red Sox may be out, how the Pirates still fit into the picture, and why Brendan Donovan has been on Houston’s radar since last summer as a potential lineup-balancing left-handed bat.
Finally, we tackle the backup catcher question—is Joey Bart the answer via trade, or do internal options like Cesar Salazar or Carlos Pérez make more sense? We compare the stats, defensive value, and upside to see who could realistically back up Yainer Díaz in 2026.
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⚾ Trades, rumors, spring training updates & analysis
💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments—who should close early if Hader isn’t ready, and who do you want as the backup catcher?
00:00 Astros Talk: Trades & Updates
05:06 “Josh Hader Injury Concerns”
09:04 “Astros’ Injuries Not Concerning Yet”
11:53 “Astros Trade Rumor & Updates”
13:48 “Astros’ Infield and Altuve Shift”
18:14 Astros Trade Strategy Analyzed
24:57 “Joey Bart’s Uneven MLB Journey”
28:40 Astros’ Backup Catcher Battle
Locked On Astros is your daily Houston Astros podcast, hosted by Eric Huysman and Brett Chancey. As part of the Locked On Podcast Network, we bring you the latest Astros news, in-depth game analysis, player updates, and exclusive insights — every single weekday.
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6 comments
Excellent show fellas!! Keep up the great work.
What are you talking about Eric!? It's on the Internet that Jose Altuve is an outfielder for the Houston Astros! 🤣🤣🤣It has to be true!
great show, but why are yall talking about trading isaac parades like its gonna make us better this year. Trading for wilyer abreu will cause more of a logjam than they already have. Cam Smith and Brice Matthews have to play! Zach cole will play and you dont have the time to trade Jesus Sanchez and or Jake Meyers this late if you were to trade for another outfielder. None of this makes any sense. If its not a guy that will replace the plate discipline that parades has then the trade will not get done. Thats why they were tryin to trade for donovan, because the only way parades is going anywhere is if he is traded for a guy that will replicate his plate discipline THIS YEAR. Its not just giving up parades just to do it.
Hey Keith Law was right about Jose Abreu
2:45 did you think he would say anything else?
I literally call him, Dana 'the liar' Brown…and not as an insult, part of his job description is to be a sleaze ball, you don't get to be a GM of a Major League ball club by being a squeaky clean nice guy…it is what it is.
Like JMartin posted I thought Brendan Donovan represented the best lH fit seeing he could have played 2nd base and or the two corner outfields that is off the table now and teams think the stros are desperate to move Paredes so really Dana Brown is right not to bite on that. I always seen trading Walker as a no go because they would still have to pay off a portion of his salary if not half of it now I think they may have to and it will be more of a salary dump for a prospect or two (not high either) and keep Parades unless Dana Brown can work out a three team deal involving Parades and get an outfielder like a steven kwan from Cleveland but barring that they may need to bite their lips and eat some of the walker salary and move him. When they brought back Correa they were looking for a spark to get them in the playoffs and since they did not make the playoffs they are painted into a corner needing to free up salary cap space for a move at the trade deadline and the need for a quality LH bat outfielder which currently seems doubtful they can obtain barring this the stros are still a strong contender if they can stay healthy and the pitching they have gotten pans out Go Stros!